Share This Story!

Manning caps stellar fantasy year with record-setting day

Fantasy owners who've enjoyed so many brilliant performances from Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning this season received one final gift on Sunday, as he threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns.

Fantasy owners who've enjoyed so many brilliant performances from Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning this season received one final gift on Sunday.

Once again showing his impeccable sense of timing, Manning threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns on fantasy championship weekend to help propel his owners toward a title.

After a lackluster first half dominated by field goals, Manning came alive in the fourth quarter with two scoring tosses to Eric Decker and another to Julius Thomas. The last one came with 4:28 to play and gave him an NFL record 51 TD passes in a single season. Manning entered the game as the No. 1 overall fantasy quarterback and he cemented that status with his big game against the Houston Texans.

Meanwhile, it was a much different story for this season's No. 2 fantasy QB. Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints threw a pair of interceptions and was sacked six times against the Carolina Panthers in a 17-13 loss. Brees completed 30-of-44 passes for 281 yards, but managed only one late touchdown pass to tight end Jimmy Graham.

Fantasy owners knew Brees' matchup would be a difficult one and many opted for other options. One of the most promising Week 16 matchups was for the Cincinnati Bengals' Andy Dalton. Facing a Minnesota Vikings defense that had given up a league-leading 32 touchdown passes, Dalton added four more of his own.

He connected twice with star wide receiver A.J. Green, once with tight end Jermaine Gresham and once with wideout Mohamed Sanu on his way to throwing for 366 yards and no interceptions. Switching from Brees to Dalton could have been the difference between winning and losing for many fantasy owners .. as long as they weren't playing against Manning.

Elsewhere on Sunday:

-- Fantasy's top-rated running back, Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs, couldn't duplicate his five-TD day from last week ... but he did turn in a solid effort for his fantasy owners. Charles rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown and also caught five passes for 38 yards against the Indianapolis Colts. However, Charles was overshadowed by the Colts' Donald Brown, who racked up 110 total yards and scored a pair of touchdowns.

-- Meanwhile, the season's No. 2 fantasy running back saved a huge performance for prime time. LeSean McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles exploited the Chicago Bears' league-worst run defense for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also caught six passes for 29 yards. If his owners were able to survive last week's eight carries for 38 yards, McCoy likely helped carry them to a title.

-- Pierre Garcon set a Washington Redskins single-season record for receptions as he hauled in 11 more for 144 yards and a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys. Garcon broke the record of 106 set by Art Monk in 1984. However, Washington QB Kirk Cousins threw for a disappointing 197 yards against the Cowboys' league-worst pass defense.

-- Both Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller had productive days running the ball for the Buffalo Bills. Jackson carried 19 times for 111 yards and a touchdown, while Spiller chipped in with 77 yards on 20 carries and also caught three passes. The Bills defense also stepped up by pitching a shutout in a 19-0 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

-- The Tennessee Titans also had a virtual 50-50 split between running backs Chris Johnson and Shonn Greene with Greene getting the better end of the deal. He carried 19 times for 91 yards and a touchdown. Johnson had 90 yards on 22 carries.

-- Finally, in IDP leagues that also start individual defensive players, perhaps the most dominant performance on Sunday was turned in by Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly. He tied an NFL record with 24 tackles (set by David Harris of the New York Jets in 2007) and -- for good measure -- also intercepted a pass.